Battle of Cannae Battle of Zama Consequences of the 2 nd Punic War. Battle Of Cannae. Having recovered from their previous losses at Trebia and Trasimene , the Romans decided to engage Hannibal at Cannae, on August 2 nd 216 BC.

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Having recovered from their previous losses at Trebia and Trasimene , the Romans decided to engage Hannibal at Cannae, on August 2nd 216 BC.

The armies met on the Apulian plain near the town of Cannae next to the River Aufidus.

Leading into Battle:

The newly elected Roman Consuls, Gaius Terentius Varro and LuciusAemiliusPaullus, were anxious to begin their tenure with military achievement.

They formed a large force to deal with the Carthaginians ravaging southern Italy. Between the two Consuls, they levied a force of nearly 80,000 men.

Hannibal meanwhile, still attempting to subvert Roman authority in the allied areas of Italy, was waiting for the Romans with a colourful mix of Gauls, Spaniards, Numidians and Carthaginians, approximately 40,000 men.

He positioned his Celtic and Spanish swordsmen in a crescent in the centre.

On his left wing he stationed his Celtic and Spanish heavy cavalry, on the right he stationed his light Numidian cavalry.

Preparing for battle, he now ordered his light troops at the front to fall back and act as reserves.

The Romans meanwhile acted as usual. The velites (skirmishers) were positioned at the front to cover their position. Behind them, in the centre the main body of the legion took its position, with allied Italian infantry on either side of it.

The Roman infantry had continued to drive forward, and had driven itself into an alley formed by the light Carthaginian infantry stationed at the sides.

Shielded by these Carthaginian troops, their comrades who had stayed at the rear could now swing around and come in behind the Roman army. The Roman doomed legions were encircled and being attacked from all sides.

In effect the Roman infantry had been defeated by the opposing infantry, although the returning Carthaginian cavalry helped further accelerate their victory.

Scipio applied the tactics of encirclement which he had learnt from Hannibal but adapted to Roman military formations.

The retreat of the Carthaginian mercenaries at a critical moment and the timely return of the Roman and Numidian Cavalry from pursuit of the routed Carthaginian horse resulted in a complete Victory for Scipio.

Hannibal having lost the battle retreated to Carthage.

20,000 men from Hannibal's army were killed with an equal number taken as prisoners to be sold at slave auction. The Romans meanwhile, lost as few as 500 dead and 4,000 wounded

Scipio returned to Rome to triumph “over the Carthaginians and Hannibal” and to receive the name of Africanus.